


Family All Along

by MeredithBrody



Series: The Romulan War [4]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 11:12:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jon gives Erika a surprise Valentine's gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family All Along

**Author's Note:**

> This is written after a conversation with mylittleredgirl over on Tumblr reminded me how these two are not only soulmates but best friends, and how sometimes they both forget the former part.   
> The earrings described are based on some I got my mam for Christmas.

It didn’t seem like Erika Hernandez had managed to be asleep all that long, and what had woken her up was a complete mystery to her. The gentle banging and muttering from the corner of the room told her where she was, or at least gave her the idea that she was in the Captains’ quarters on _Enterprise_. Slowly but surely the events of the previous night came back to her, the two ships had been nearby, they’d decided to meet up. It had been Jonathan’s birthday and they’d thrown an impromptu party for him, when the two of them had been the only ones left they’d wound up back here, as they often did when they were alone.

So clearly, the banging and rustling was him. What he was doing, she wasn’t sure she needed to know but she was awake now, and she wasn’t sure that she was going to be able to go back to sleep, so she sat up and blinked a couple of times at the light from the lamp then smiled, wondering if she’d make Jon jump by talking. “Jonathan, what are you doing?”

She was richly rewarded by his involuntary reaction to her unexpected comment, then she got to see his ever-so-slightly-sorry turn. “I was trying to be quiet.” He replied with a smile

“You failed.” She replied dryly.

“No, you just sleep really lightly.” He complained and she had to give him credit because she did. She knew that, and it was something many people liked to comment on.

“I’m a starship captain, what do you expect?” She commented, sitting up properly this time and taking a sip of the water glass she’d left on the nightstand.

He gave her a skeptical look, and she wondered what about that statement was so surprising. She’d seen how fast he could rocket up at the sound of the comm system. “I don’t think how lightly you sleep has anything to do with your vocation, you were the same when you were a lieutenant.”

“I’m amazed you remember back that far.” She muttered, a mischievous tone taking over as she did. She just couldn’t resist, and if he asked she was going to claim it was because he’d woken her up.

“Now was that really necessary?” He asked, his tone filled with mock hurt as he crossed the room back toward her.

“Sorry.” She laughed and felt the bed behind her dip a little behind her. She couldn’t help but rib him a little more while she had the chance. Especially when his arm slipped around her waist. It was too good an opportunity to miss. “Yes, it was.”

“Evil woman.” He teased back, then started laying kisses on her exposed shoulders and neck. The movement successfully derailing her from teasing him any further. It was one of his foolproof actions to stop her on any conversation they were having privately, and the damned man knew it too.

“You love it anyway.” She muttered, leaning back against him and forgetting for a moment what she had wanted to ask, having to mentally shake herself and pull away just a little. Her curiosity had got the better of her.  “Why were you trying to be quiet?”

“I wanted to get your present.” He muttered and she could sense the smile in it. He kissed her shoulder once more, and rather than let herself get pulled back into that hole she leant away and grinned.

“I get a present?” She asked, it wasn’t her birthday, that was still a few months away, and it definitely wasn’t their anniversary, she’d have remembered that. They rarely got presents for any other reasons. She turned slightly, just enough that she could see his face.

Jon just gave her a slightly confused look, and she wondered if she could have possibly forgotten their anniversary, though she had been sure that was in the summer, or still a month away, depending on which one they decided to use this year. “It’s Valentines day.” He prompted, and the feeling of stupidity grew.

“I didn’t get you anything. But it was your birthday yesterday, so maybe that counts for both?” She asked a little sheepishly. She’d never cared much for Valentines, and she didn’t remember if they’d ever given each other Valentines gifts before. She didn’t think so, with it being so close to Jon’s birthday they’d just tended to ignore it.

The mattress behind her shifted in shape as Jon stood up and picked something up off the desk, speaking all the while. “I’ll let you off this year. Here.” He handed her a box, and sat slightly behind and beside her as she took the box off him, opening it and looking at the necklace and earrings it contained. They were beautiful, and clearly old. The delicate metal curls inset with tiny diamonds ended with a teardrop shaped pearl, the pendant on the necklace matching the earrings.

“Jon. These look old.” She stammered, not entirely sure what else she could say. They were beautiful, but she couldn’t accept them. They were either a family heirloom or ridiculously expensive, and either way she wasn’t sure she deserved them.

Jon just smiled and pulled out the necklace, holding it gently in his hand and smiled at her. She wondered if she looked as dumbfounded as she felt. “They are. They were my nana’s. I’ve been holding on to them for years, waiting for a chance to give them to you.” She looked at him blankly a moment longer. She still wasn’t sure she could believe he was giving her them, let alone that he’d been waiting for years to do so.

“I can’t accept them Jon, they should go to someone in your family.” That’s what heirlooms were for, they weren’t for friends, or people you had an undefinable relationship with.

“Are you saying you’re not my family?” After 17 years of friendship and being whatever they were to each other could she really claim they weren’t family. Her family treated him as if he was a member, so why shouldn’t she think of him that way. It seemed that Jon thought the same way. “You’re all I have left, besides my crew. You’re the only person I want to have them.” He replied, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth, and she honestly couldn’t deny him when he looked at her like that. He gently put the necklace back, and she just took hold of his hand and kissed the knuckle gently as he moved it away.

“Thanks, Jonathan.” She smiled, twisting around to look at him while simultaneously putting the box on the bedside table behind her, not wanting to damage anything.“They are beautiful.” She kissed him gently then leaned back again glad that he sat a little closer.

“And they’ll suit you well.” He returned her smile, and she wondered how long he’d held them, and whether they’d always been for her. Almost as soon as she thought about it she realised it didn’t really matter either way. She leant her forehead against Jon’s for a moment and smiled again realising that she hadn’t pressed the point about being his family. Maybe she needed to give up fighting that, he was hers too. That was the upside of falling in love with your best friend, you were already family.


End file.
